Miroslav Kluc

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games • Coach
SexMale
Full nameMiroslav•Kluc
Used nameMiroslav•Kluc
Born1 December 1922 in Nešuchyně, Středočeský kraj (CZE)
Died4 December 2012 in Praha (Prague), Hlavní město Praha (CZE)
AffiliationsKLH Chomutov, Chomutov (CZE)
NOC Czechoslovakia Yugoslavia
Nationality Czechia Czechoslovakia

Biography

Already he began playing in the late thirties it was not until the resumption of Czechoslovakian ice hockey following World War 2 that Miroslav Kluc made his league debut ,by which time he was already 26. He spent a decade at the Chomutov club and was reported to have scored over 1100 goals for them with 226 coming in the 1949-50 season alone. Kluc was the league’s top scorer in 4 seasons between 1951 and 1956. Despite this goalscoring record he only appeared in two major tournaments, the 1953 World Championships and the 1956 Winter Olympics, and failed to win a medal at either. He certainly would have won a medal, possible gold, in 1953 but Czechoslovakia withdrew halfway through the tournament due to the death of their President. He rounded off his playing career as player-coach with CHZ Litvinov before concentrating solely on coaching, firstly by returning to Chomutov then in Switzerland and Yugoslavia. He won three titles in a row with Olimpija Ljubljana in Yugoslavia whilst simultaneously managing the Yugoslav national team. Kluc was elected to the Czech hockey hall of fame in 2011.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal Nationality As
1956 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey (Ice Hockey) TCH CZE Miroslav Kluc
Ice Hockey, Men (Olympic) Czechoslovakia 5

Coaching results

Games Sport (Discipline) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal Nationality As
1972 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey (Ice Hockey) YUG TCH Miroslav Kluc
Ice Hockey, Men (Olympic) Yugoslavia 11

Special Notes